Commissioning Manager – Data Centre Projects

Location: Ireland

Contract Type: Freelance / Contract

Start Date: ASAP – 1 to 2 year contract

Overview

We are seeking a highly strategic Commissioning Manager to lead the commissioning, testing, and validation strategy for a large-scale data centre project in Ireland. The successful candidate will be responsible for the overall management of the commissioning process, ensuring that all complex mechanical, electrical, and controls systems are integrated, tested, and handed over to operations safely, on schedule, and in strict accordance with design intent.

This leadership role offers a fantastic opportunity to drive the final delivery stages of a high-profile mission-critical facility, managing multi-disciplinary teams, specialized vendors, and client stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and strategic direction for the overall Level 1-5 commissioning program across all mechanical, electrical, and ELV/controls systems.
• Develop, review, and approve the overarching Project Commissioning Plan, commissioning scripts, method statements, and integrated systems testing (IST) procedures.
• Manage, mentor, and coordinate a multi-disciplinary team of commissioning engineers, specialized vendors, and third-party commissioning agents.
• Establish and manage the commissioning schedule, tracking progress against key project milestones and resolving bottlenecks.
• Act as the primary point of contact for the client, design engineering teams, and construction management regarding commissioning readiness and progress.
• Witness and sign off on major critical systems testing, including integrated factory acceptance testing (iFAT), site acceptance testing (SAT), and Level 5 IST.
• Oversee the tracking, management, and resolution of all commissioning punch-list items, technical defects, and design deviations.
• Ensure the comprehensive compilation, review, and handover of final commissioning reports, operations and maintenance (O&M) manuals, and asset documentation.
• Enforce rigorous health, safety, and quality standards across all commissioning activities, particularly during live system energization and high-risk testing phases.

Candidate Requirements

• Extensive experience leading commissioning activities in a managerial capacity on data centre, mission-critical, or large-scale industrial infrastructure projects.
• Deep technical expertise in multi-disciplinary commissioning practices (MEP, BMS, EPMS, and life safety systems).
• Proven experience managing Level 5 Integrated Systems Testing (IST) within hyperscale or colocation data centre environments.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to manage complex technical discussions.
• Expert ability to interpret complex engineering drawings, P&IDs, single-line diagrams, and sequence of operations documents.
• Excellent written and spoken English language skills.
• Eligible to live and work in Ireland.

Darwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.

Nick Rands